Louisiana Tech will begin its postseason campaign on April 16 as the top-seeded Bulldogs take on No. 9 seed Sam Houston in the Conference USA Women’s Tennis Championship quarterfinals at Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
The matchup marks an important moment for Louisiana Tech, which finished the regular season with a strong 16-3 record and went undefeated in league play. The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 73 nationally and have won 13 of their last 14 matches.
Singles play has been key to Louisiana Tech’s success this year. Zoie Epps, named Conference USA Athlete of the Week, holds a standout record of 16-1 from the No. 1 position and has secured thirteen consecutive wins, all in straight sets. Freshman Isabella Walker has also made an impact with a record of 13-2 this season, often playing at No. 6 singles and clinching the team’s regular season finale against Kennesaw State.
Other contributors include Maria Tsironi and June Vigneron with nine dual singles victories each; Vigneron has won four out of her last five matches while Tsironi has taken seven out of her last ten. Senior Mio Kozaki remains undefeated this season at 7-0, extending her winning streak to thirteen matches dating back to last year.
In doubles competition, Louisiana Tech boasts a combined record of 31-14 and has claimed thirteen out of nineteen possible doubles points. The pairings of Tsironi/Alice and Epps/Walker have both achieved eleven wins this spring; Epps/Walker enter the tournament ranked No.70 nationally after being ranked for nearly two months.
Sam Houston advanced to face Louisiana Tech after a narrow victory over Western Kentucky University (WKU), winning four singles courts including a decisive third-set tiebreaker by Christine Jevicky—her third win in a row—for an overall team score of 4-3 despite losing the doubles point earlier in that match.
The Bulldogs lead Sam Houston in their all-time series by fourteen wins to twelve and previously defeated them earlier this season with a scoreline of six-to-one during their meeting in Huntsville. This is their first encounter within the context of the Conference USA Championship tournament.
This year’s championship returns to Murfreesboro for just its third time since first being hosted there by Middle Tennessee State University in 2016; Louisiana Tech enters as top seed for the first time ever after previously reaching as high as No.3 seed last year.
